Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. In the time I have with you today I want to at least begin the process of our year-end review by looking at what has happened, and is happening, with the border of the United States.

The deliberate misunderstanding of Donald J. Trump

First of all, I will tell you that I have explored in conversation with people, and paid attention to various members of what is usually referred to as the “MSM” or main stream media regarding President Trump, what they don’t like about him, etc., and I think that many people miss the point entirely. For example, the other day I was in my doctor’s office lobby bright and early waiting for my check up. The TV was on and my seat was very close so I had no choice but to listen. Senator Bob Corker, Republican from Tennessee, who is retiring this term and being replaced by Marsha Blackburn, a Republican who campaigned almost entirely on her support of President Trump as a positive thing, was being interviewed.

Bob Corker was interviewed by a fawning reporter who appeared grateful to talk to him because he knew the Senator had problems with President Trump. “What is your opinion of him?” he asked. “He is loose with the truth”, the senator replied, and then he went on to add that the only thing voters want to know is are you with Trump, no issues just are you with Trump.

The anti-elitist

That exchange illustrates my point better than anything I could bring you from my own memory. Senator Corker’s answer says it all, that smug arrogance of the elite. The election of Donald Trump, despite his problematic personality, and the recent yellow vest riots in Paris and other European cities have something in common. They both represent an uprising of the ordinary voter, the deplorable, the resident of flyover country, Mr. and Mrs. Middle America the common man, if you will, who are all sick of the smug elitists such as Senator Corker, who have been running the world for the past few decades or so.

Even if Mr. Trump is a billionaire, they see him as the anti-elite person who finally speaks for them. When President Trump is crude, or when he mocks and laughs at the high and mighty, his supporters love him even more. They love him for all the reasons the smug Democrats and Republicans hate him. The people still think they have the ability to influence what happens to them through voting. Whether that’s still true or not is another question because the election of Donald Trump indicates it is true, but the continuing coup against him indicates it is not true.

Government lies

Thinking people, and most of us are, at least to some degree, know that most of what government tells us is a lie. Senator Corker said the President is loose with the truth but that is the very essence of government. If government, or anyone who is in charge of it, actually told us the truth we would see behind the curtain and know that the emperor has no clothes. We are constantly under threats that only government with more money, more power, and more invasive control over our lives can solve for us. Here in America we elect Donald Trump, but in France they go into the streets for violent riots.

Disappointing progress on the border

President Trump has disappointed his followers, or they should be disappointed, with his lack of progress on the border and immigration front. What progress has been made in 2018? Not very much I’m afraid. Let me just review a few areas where I had hoped to see improvement and where there has been little or none. The biggest disappointment is no wall to speak of. This was a foundation issue in his campaign and the reason many people voted for him. “I will build a wall and make Mexico pay for it”, remember that? Perhaps that’s what Senator Corker was talking about when he said the President is loose with the truth. On second thought, no, probably not.

Number two on my list would be no tax on remittances, which would keep part of the money paid to illegals here in America. I have forgotten which number I’m on but no end to birthright citizenship or chain migration. We could do an entire Report on birthright citizenship and how it is not really protected in the Constitution, and how it could and should be stopped and perhaps we should, but for now it goes on. So does chain migration which allows immigrants to bring their entire families and then their entire families, etc. The other immigration scams, such as, the visa lottery and investor visa are still there and still major disappointments.

Idle threats and empty promises?

The disappointment that I have above all others, at least in regard to immigration, is this President’s tendency to say something, to promise something, and then do nothing. For example, the promise to build a wall but now just before the last election in November, he said he would issue an executive order to build it but nothing has happened. He said that he would issue an executive order to end birthright citizenship but nothing has been done.

With regard to the migrant caravan he threatened to cut off foreign aid to countries supporting the caravan, a splendid idea, but nothing has been done. It all just seems like a poker hand by someone who is either a great player or else doesn’t know what game he’s playing. He now says that he is working on a military order to build the wall. I’m not quite sure why his staff could not draft the order for his review in an hour, but still nothing, so we will see.

An executive, not a legislator

In fairness to the President, he is not a legislator since that job belongs to Congress, and it is quite obvious that Congress has no intention of ever doing anything on immigration except to make it worse. The President, however, is supposed to be the great communicator. He is supposed to persuade Congress to do what he wants because he was elected for an agenda and he has the will of the people behind him. Congress should give him what he wants because they are afraid of the voters. This President just doesn’t seem inclined to do that or to be confrontational with them. However, the latest is that he will allow the government to shut down if he doesn’t get wall funding. If so, that would at least publicize the issue for the people.

Senator Corker alluded to that in his interview when he said the President seeks to intentionally divide us, and by us he means Congress. So the President tries to divide the members of Congress on each side of the isle, according to Senator Corker, but that is not obvious for the rest of us to see. It appears to me that Democrats are universally against him, in fact, they hate him as they hate no other, and they themselves are the divisive ones, but I’m not in the Senate so how can I dispute the Senator?

The caravan at the border

What of the migrant caravan we’ve heard so much about over the last few months? It seems that to the local inhabitants of Tijuana, the caravan which was made up primarily of Honduran people, did not contain enough people with the right attitude, and did contain too many people with the wrong attitude. They were invited by the locals to leave or change to fit the expectations of Mexico. Now apparently what remains of the caravan has gone to the U.S. consulate in Tijuana with a demand; let us enter the United States or give us each $50,000. It would probably be money well spent because, according to a recent GAO report, that is, I believe it was GAO, 63% of non-citizens in the U.S. are receiving welfare. That’s 63% of millions of people being supported by those who work and have their labor confiscated in the form of tax.

The caravan contained about 10,000 people by the last count I saw. Some of them were probably able to enter the United States illegally, but most of them are still in a migrant camp in Tijuana, and many have found jobs in Mexico. Imagine that, there are enough jobs in the Tijuana region of Mexico for most of those people. Taking a job breaks down the entire mess of migration and depoliticizes it, so good for them if they are working.

Other border problems

The migrant caravan was the most publicized and obvious migration issue, but it was, and is, not the most important. According to the Southwest Border Migration Report issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the largest agency in Homeland Security, in October 2018 alone nearly 51,000 illegal immigrants who illegally crossed the border between ports of entry were apprehended. That’s 51,000 in one month, folks, and that is five migrant caravans every month actually crossing. The figure doesn’t even estimate the number who crossed and was not apprehended.

In response, the President ordered thousands of U.S. military troops to the border to assist Border Patrol agents. For that reason, the migrant caravan was a positive for those of us who favor secure borders because it allowed the President to couch the issue in terms of an invasion. He also moved to deny asylum application privileges to those crossing illegally. The Presidential order was quickly countermanded by a Federal Judge.

From bad to worse

Finally, folks, border security and limits on immigration are not going to happen. In Congress, the people’s house, the illegal immigrants are desirable as either future democrats or future cheap labor. The only thing that ever changes is that it inevitably gets worse. It will stay that way until the American people revolt against their rulers and demand their country back.

At least that’s the way I see it.

Until next time folks,

This is Darrell Castle.